Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Websites and email issues resolved

The issue with websites and email being inaccessible has been fixed. Our hosting provider removed our DNS records. I recreated the records and moved to new hosting providers.

Domain Name System (DNS) is the phonebook of the Internet. Humans access information online through domain names, like nytimes.com or espn.com. Web browsers interact through Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. DNS translates domain names to IP addresses so browsers can load Internet resources. Each device connected to the Internet has a unique IP address which other machines use to find the device. DNS servers eliminate the need for humans to memorize IP addresses such as 192.168.1.1 (in IPv4), or more complex newer alphanumeric IP addresses such as 2400:cb00:2048:1::c629:d7a2 (in IPv6).

When our hosting provider deleted the DNS information, routers around the world didn't know where to send the traffic, which is why you received a "site not available" or Bluehost screen that the domain couldn't be found. I recreated the records with Bluehost. I created the same records with Microsoft and then put in a request to move DNS from Bluehost to Microsoft for the loganelm.org domain. Due to the size of the Internet, it takes 24-48 for servers around the world to get the new information. Currently, all records for the loganelm.org are resolving correctly, with the exception of an authoritative server in China. I'm not too concerned with China being able to access our website.

Loganelmschools.com is resolving to @loganelm.org. When you type it in a browser, it should appear as loganelm.org. The mail records for @loganelmschools.com are taking some time to resolve, but it should be working fine later today. There are some servers that are not getting the correct records, but it will resolved soon. I am not too concerned, since this isn't our primary email domain and students are out for Pumpkin Show break. Mail will eventually get delivered, just like the post office will keep trying if you have to sign for a package.

Salt Creek, Laurelville, Pickaway and Washington domains are resolving as they should. In the next couple weeks, I will be moving the DNS records from Bluehost to GoDaddy. I will do it on a Friday afternoon, so records have the weekend to resolve. It will not affect service, as both providers will have the same information.

It is recommended that you create bookmarks in your browser to our vital services (email, ProgressBook, etc) or create a free webpage and add links to the sites you use. You can create a free site with Google Sites, Blogger, Wix, Weebly or any of the other free website offerings. I sent an email to all staff with a Technology Fact Sheet. There are links to services that you can copy and paste. Below are links on how to create bookmarks in Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox, Chrome and Safari. I would recommend either Chrome or Firefox, due to your bookmarks being available on multiple devices.
Internet Explorer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL7941JDAtw
Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027306/windows-add-a-site-to-my-favorites-in-microsoft-edge
Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/bookmarks-firefox
Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/188842?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en
Safari: https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/bookmark-webpages-that-you-want-to-revisit-ibrw1039/mac

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

October 2018 Technology Update

HelpDesk: 90 tickets opened. 86 tickets closed. 4 open tickets. To create a ticket, go to http://loganelm.org/helpdesk and fill out the form. If you are requesting new accounts or resetting passwords for students, please include their grade level and student number.

Clever: I am still working with Clever on all of the issues with accessing BrainPOP. Integration with MobyMax has been removed. They have restored all data prior to the Clever integration. I have found a number of issues with our data that is being extracted from DASL. I am working on getting the data cleaned up.

Social Media: Access to social media is blocked. We are simply following board policy (AUP and BYOT policies) and providing more bandwidth for educational resources. Twitter is not blocked, since it is being used as a communication platform.

Recovery Email Addresses: I added recovery email addresses to Office 365 and G Suite. If you have both accounts, I added the other address to each platform. This will aid in password recovery so I don't have to reset your password. If you only have an Office 365 account (classified staff), you can send me a personal email address and I will add it.

Public School Works: Links to Public School Works have been added to the Staff Resources page of the district website (https://www.loganelm.org/Staff-Resources.html). I had a webinar with PSW and updated our offerings. Some classes have been added due to new state laws and policies. Custodians and bus drivers will be receiving information on which courses need to be completed in order to be compliant. Jennifer Russell has updated all of the medical offerings in order to be in compliance and provide current information.

Locks: If you have a lock(s) missing from your chromebook cart, please let me know. We had to cut off some of them to install the new chromebooks. The following list are locations where I know to install locks:
Salt Creek 12 (2), Salt Creek 17, Salt Creek 21 (2), Laurelville 12-G (1), Laurelville 203 (1), Pickaway 11 (1)